Forever?
by GaredBattlespike
Summary: Toad is finally driven away from Wands for the last time. He meets a severely depressed teen girl on the bridge. They look at the rocks below. Pietro finds them down river the next day. Together Forever? Rated M for strong hints of suicide.


Scene: The Brotherhood House, two months after Apocalypse 's defeat.

Todd "Toad" Tolansky hopped up to Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff and said "Heya, Cuddlebumps! You look great, yo!" Wanda simply Hexed Toad away from her. Todd crashed into the wall across the room. As he landed in a heap, Wanda screamed at him "Toad, I am NOT in the mood for your stupid, worthless, idiotic, mindless, spineless, ugly, rotten, smelly, pointless, unmanly garbage! Leave me ALONE!" Todd was in a bad wanted to be loved by the teen girl. The fact is, that she never will. Ever. Todd began to accept this, and crawled away when she wasn't looking.

Todd hopped out of the Brotherhood house. Sad does not come close. Not even paying attention to where he's going, Todd realizes that it getting dark out, and he isn't sure where he is. Not really caring where he's going, Todd come to a bridge. Tired, lost and depressed to the maximum, Todd hops dispiritedly to look at the water below. That's when he sees someone. Not wanting to deal with anyone he turns to go, when he hears something. ' Is that coughing? No, wait! That's a girl crying!' Todd turns back to see a teenage girl, further up way. She is just standing there looking at the water below, and crying. Her medium length brown hair looks a bit messed up. Her clothes are a bit big for her, and her makeup is ruined from the crying. She is rather short, and carrying a bit of extra weight. She is, in most teen boys eyes, dumpy.

Todd recognizes her from Bayville tried to remember her name 'Hmmmm Evelin? Emily? Edith? Yes! Edith! Thats her name!' He thought to himself. Edith was really, really sobbing now. She slumps against one of the railings. Todd sees her pitch something out into the swirling waters fifty feet below. Sobbing uncontrollably harder now, Edith collapses beside the railing. Her heart wrenching sobs tore at Todd's already broken heart.

Before he realised what he was doing, Todd hopped over to Edith. She was sobbing and so utterly miserable that she didn't even notice Todd until he was crouched beside her, and asking her 'Hey, um, you ok? You need help, yo?" She looked startled to find anyone near her, and instead of disgusted by Todd, she was obviously deeply embarrassed to be seen by him. Her sobbing was almost painful to him, but Todd didn't move away. "Hey, chica? Talk to me. C'mon. Edith? Your name is Edith, right? Awww, c'mon, chica, don't cry like that. C'mon. Here, you'll get run over or something." Todd was a bit stronger than he looked. Picking the sobbing girl up, Todd got her to one of the ends of the bridge, and sat her down on a bench. Instinctively the girl clung to the boy. Smelly, and a mutant, he may be, but he was the one holding her. This kid, was someone who was obviously a mutant, and not known to be a nice one. Still, he was being nicer to her than anyone else, had in a long time.

Holding her hands in his own, Todd stayed with her for several minutes as she began to run out of tears. Too tired to do anything else, she just sat there, letting Todd hold her hands. "Um. Edith? Your name is Edith, ain't it?" The girl, in misery, just nodded a 'Yes'. "OK. So, what's wit' youse sobbin' on the bridge, yo?" Edith just stared ahead, obviously depressed. "I-I ju-just w-w-wanna dieeeeeeeeee….." Sobbing again, Edith grabbed Todd in a desperate hug. Todd was stunned. No girl had EVER knowingly, willingly hugged Todd since his mutation became obvious. Not knowing what else to do, Todd just held her, patted her back gently, and kept repeating "Shhhh shhhh shhhh. You got plenty to live for, yo. I mean you're still a human girl. Teenage girls go through a, well, an awkward stage. You'll be pretty by Graduation, tops. It ain't you're a mutant, you know. Trust me. I've got it worse. I'm gross. I can't help myself, whenever I spot a bug, my tongue is already in for the kill, before I can stop it. I hop better that I walk. I'm ugly. I'm weak. I'm dumb. I ain't ever gonna get the girl, yo. I'd be better off dead. Not you. You'll grow up to be pretty. All sorts of guy are gonna wanna date you. You'll get prettier. All you've gotta do is work out a bit. get some new clothes, and you're hot! Not me."

Edith looked at Todd and said "No. I can't lose weight. I've tried. My clothes are all hand me downs, from my foster grandmother.*sniffle* I don't have real parents. My foster folks keep me fed, housed and in clothes, but all of it is really in name only. *sob* I'm just another form of income for them! *SOB*" Todd very rarely had felt real, honest sympathy for anyone else, mostly because he had rarely been shown any, himself. Now, however, Todd was quite sympathetic. He, too had gone through the Foster Care system. "Edith, I've been in the system too, yo. I know how bad it can be. I get it. I-I don't know what to say, Edith." Edith was still in obvious despair. She looked at Todd with sad eyes and asked "Todd? Do you really think your life won't get any better?" Todd wanted to lie, make a joke, say something funny. Anything but what came out of his mouth "I'm gonna die alone, and there ain't nobody that's gonna care." Edith nodded and asked "We can be together, Todd. Nobody can stop us if we try." Todd thought about this and took her by the hand, and walked back to the center of the bridge. Overlooking the water, some fifty feet below, as it crashed upon the rocks, Todd and Edith stood together upon the railing, hand in hand. Edith said "This way, we can be together forever, Todd." Todd nodded. Edith asked "Todd? Please give me my first kiss?" Todd gently took Edith in his arms, and gave her a sweet, gentle, even hesitant kiss. Todd asked "Together forever, right, Edith sweetums?" Edith replied "Forever."

The next day, around eight o'clock in the morning, local time. Down the river from the bridge.

Pietro was the one who found them. He just could not believe it. His mind just wasn't able to process the sight he had found. Todd and Edith. They were together.

Epilogue: The day was surprisingly bright and sunny. They had gathered at the Church for this Ceremony. Wanda seemed affected more than anyone expected. She was sobbing the whole way there, and she hasn't stopped yet. Even the X-Men were there. Magneto was there, dressed in a dark suit, as was Professor Xavier. The Brotherhood was all there, including Tabitha. She was crying right along with Wanda. Lance and Scott were at the Altar, dressed in the best suits that Magneto and Xavier could afford. The music started. All rose to this occasion. The Ceremony started.

The doors to the Church were opened and there, walking up the aisle was a teenage girl in a white gown, with the veil covering her face. The Groom waited nervously as his Edith approached. It was one year to the day, that they had met. The day that they stood together against Death and Despair. They had won that fight the only way anyone can. Together. Never again was Todd Tolansky called Toad. He was as he should be. Todd, the Life Saving Prince,

The End.


End file.
